Project Overview
Cultivating Community’s “Growing Together” employed a multi-sector strategy to create an increasingly robust,
economically productive farm economy in Maine. First and foremost, the project provided intensive, customized, land-based training to four cohorts of New
American farmers at varying levels of expertise, as well as to other beginning
farmers and to youth agricultural interns in our food-based leadership
programs. As part of this training, we connected program graduates to the
expertise of our partners in the region, to address critical issues such as
land access and stable land tenure. Second, we provided support and
facilitated a new kind of training for Maine’s agricultural service-providers
that enabled them to better understand and meet the needs of New American
and other low-resource and/or socially disadvantaged farmers. As the capacities
and skills of beginning farmers and agricultural service-providers
simultaneously developed, a continually increasing number of low-resource,
socially disadvantaged, and other beginning farmers attained increased success in
operating independent farm businesses. We also tested, defined, and advanced best practices for the
support and inclusion of low-resource farmers seeking agricultural
services, and we disseminated new learnings locally, regionally, and nationally.
Number of Participants: 179
Promotional Materials
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Educational Materials
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Reports & Evaluations
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Individual Stories / Examples of Success